Mount Saint Vincent Falls in Fla. Opener to Curry

West Palm Beach, Fla. – The College of Mount Saint Vincent dropped its 2011 season opener on Monday morning to Curry by a score of 19-8. Five different Dolphins found the back of the cage in the contest, with senior captain Lauren Perla (Holbrook, N.Y.) leading the way with three tallies.

Curry opened the game with the first 11 goals on Monday, before Jessie Mitchell (Suffern, N.Y.) got the Mount on the board with one tick left before halftime. Overall in the first 30 minutes, Mount Saint Vincent was outshot 22-6, with Curry winning eight of the 12 draw controls taken.

The Colonels opened the second half, much the same way as the first and went out to post the first four goals after the break. The Dolphins would answer that run with the three goal spurt of their own with Kristen LeGeyt (Stony Point, N.Y.) and Diana Lawless (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) scoring their first of the season and Mitchell adding her second of the game.

After Curry broke up the string on a goal from Ashley Hansbury, Nicole Flores (Bethpage, N.Y.) got on the board with her first of the season with 10:14 left in the tilt and Perla netted back-to-back goals just under two minutes apart to bring the Dolphins to within 16-7 with just over six minutes left to play.

Curry would answer the Mount run with three more goals to close out its offensive output on the day and pull in front 19-7, before Perla cashed in her third of the day to bring the Dolphins to within the final decision.

Overall in the game the Colonels outshot the Dolphins 35-24 and held the edge in groundballs 18-13. Curry also won 15 draw controls on the day to 13 for the Mount and was an efficient 13 for 16 in clearing attempts.

Perla scored one of the Dolphins two free-position goals on the day and also added a draw control. Mitchell finished the day with three groundballs and a team-high four draw controls to go along with her two markers.

Curry was paced by Hansbury who scored a game-high eight goals and rounded out a strong all-around day with three groundballs, two draw controls and a pair of caused turnovers. She was one of four Colonels to score multiple goals, with Jessie Koffman adding seven points on four goals and three assists.

Sophomore Michelle Miller (Chester, Pa.) got the nod between the pipes for the Dolphins and made 10 saves in her second career appearance in goal and first career start. Maria Lynch earned the win for Curry in the cage after making nine saves.

The loss drops Mount Saint Vincent to 0-1 after its first of two games in the Sunshine State. The Dolphins will play again on Wednesday, when they take on either Smith or Gordon in the Beach Division Consolation game. Opening draw is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.